Tweenies
Tweenies is a British children's television programme, originally broadcast on the BBC's CBBC programming block. Episodes of the programme have also been repeated on the CBeebies channel since 2002. Overview and history The idea for the programme came from Iain Lauchlan and Will Brenton, a pair with a track record of being involved in BBC children's programming. Together with Karl Woolley and Helen Cadwallader they set up Productions at Elstree Film Studios in Hertfordshire founded 1964. Iain Lauchlan was strands before forming their own production companies Tell-Tale Productions and, more recently, Wish Films/DHX Media Its a Small World (TV Series 1964) on ATV Midlands A Hard Day's Night on BFI https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Help!_(film) on BFI Its a Small World 2 (TV Series 1966) ATV Midlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Mystery_Tour_(film) on New Line Cimera Its a Small World (TV Series 1968) on ATV Midlands Its a Small World final (TV Series 1970) on ATV Midlands, ORTF and ARD Thunderbirds (TV Series 1972-1980,1984-1987) on BBC1 (1972-1980),BBC2,FR3 and ZDF (1984-1987) Fun Song Factory on Abbey Broadcasting Co (1994-1997),GMTV (1998) and CITV (2004-2006) series) on BBC2 (2003-2006) and https://en.wikipedia.org/BB3B on BBC1 (2005) Tweenies is a production of Tell-Tale Productions in association with the BBC. Animation for the show was produced by A Productions, an animation studio based inBristol, England, with Ealing Animation providing some animation in a few early episodes. Computer animation for the series was provided by Clockwork Digital, with Ben Mars animating Mungo, the computer creature who appears in some later episodes. The program is no longer in production, although merchandise can still be bought from retailers, and DVDs of the programme are also available. The characters are well developed and children are able to predict what their responses might be. The mixture of story, song and creative activity provides excellent opportunities for children to learn through play. Music plays an important part in the programme and children are encouraged to join in with songs and actions. The programme is set in a playschool attended by the four Tweenies themselves: Bella, Milo, Fizz and the youngest, Jake. They are in the care of two adults, Max and Judy, and two dogs - Doodles & Izzles. The show includes a "Tweenie Clock", with five circular lights arranged in a pentagonal shape with the lights denoting "News Time" (Circle Time in USA) - Orange, "Messy Time" - Blue, "Song Time" - Yellow, "Telly Time" (Video Time in USA) - Green and "Story Time" - Red. "Surprise Time" is a special time determined when all five lights glow. A button at the centre of the clock (Purple) is pressed to select the activity that will be undertaken next. It is currently being shown on CBeebies, the BBC's channel for young children. Like a number of other CBeebies programmes, a live stage version of the show has toured in the UK. The most recent tour, Top of the Tots, toured the British Isles during 2009, the series' 10th anniversary. In addition, the tour also played several shows in Hong Kong in late September and early October 2009. The Tweenies are also regulars on the annual CBeebies Live tours around the British Isles. Between 2003 and 2005, there was also a live version of Tweenies shown regularly at Alton Towers in the Cred Street section aimed at younger children, which was removed in favour of Bob the Builder. In 2000, Tweenies won two awards: Best PreSchool Educational Program and Best Live Action PreSchool Programme. The original prototypes for the Tweenies characters were designed by Sally Preisig of Mimics Productions; they were later re-scaled into two sizes for the characters shown on the series. In addition, Preisig also designed the character costumes and was co-constructor/developer for the Tweenies' full-size puppets. The costume fabric comes from the UK and was imported and dyed into their present colours; it is about the same thickness as fleece jumpers. On 20 January 2013, the programme caused controversy after the 2001 episode titled "Favourite Songs",[1] featuring a skit of Max dressed and acting like BBC personality Jimmy Savile, (who after his death was implicated for sex and abuse crimes against children and teens on BBC grounds), was broadcast on CBeebies at 8:40 am.[2] The BBC announced that "Favourite Songs" would permanently be removed from rotation and published an apology.[3] Due to this incident The Tweenies was aired on CBeebies for a further week and then taken off air. The final episode to air was the 264th, titled "Digger", on 1 February 2013. The series returned on 3 June 2013, resuming with the 261st episode, "No", Characters The Tweenies consist of Bella, Milo, Fizz, Jake, Doodles, Izzles, Max, Judy, and are sometimes joined by Max's sister Polly. Other characters have appeared occasionally, including Milo's Uncle Mickey, Jake's mother, Fizz's father and Bella's Granny. There have also been several animated characters. All of the four main characters appeared in the first episode Tweenie Band, which was filmed in 1998 at Elstree Studios & aired on 6 September 1999. The Tweenies are played by one set of actors, while the voices are provided by other actors. Unless otherwise indicated, all of the following actors and voice talent were in the show from 1999. Cast Albums Data from AllMusicCharts.com Singles Data from AllMusicCharts.com Regular episodes Welsh episodes In 2002, the BBC dubbed several episodes into Welsh for S4C (BBC provides some programming to the Welsh channel). Dubbing was done by actors including John Ogwen and Jennifer Vaughan. These are still broadcast on an irregular basis: Key: Welsh episode number, Welsh title (Original title in brackets) * 1 Gwledd Bwstyfil (Monster Nosh) * 2 Llun Judy (Judy's Painting) * 3 Diwali (Diwali) * 4 Sypreis Fawr Bella (Bella's Big Surprise) * 5 I Fyny'r Mynydd (Up the Mountain) * 6 Pawb Yn Symud (Pulling) * 7 Fy Nghorff (My Body) * 8 Eirth Gwyn (Polar Bears) * 9 Diog (Lazy) * 10 Neidio (Jumping) * 11 Sana Gwirion Milo (Practical Jokes) * 12 Draig (Dragon) * 13 Ffyrnig Fel Llew (Fierce as a Lion) * 14 Jake snipiau Fizz gyda sissors Tweenies Christmas Countdown (2001) 1.Invitation's 2.Cold Wilson 3.Wishes 4.Getting Ready 5.Jake And The Beanstalk 6.Fallen Star 7.The Christmas Fairy 8.Santa's Little Helper 9.Nativity 10.Christmas Eve 11.Frosty Day 12.Elves 13.Winter 14.Penelope Pink 15.Highly Strung 16.Little Blue Plane 17.The Mouse hole Theater 18.Christmas Morning 19.White Christmas 20.Hanukkah 21.Snow 22.Polar Bears 23.Things We Brought In 24.Searching For Santa 25. The Present Be Safe with the Tweenies (safety shorts) (Aired: 2003-2008) In recent years, a number of safety shorts, called Be Safe with the Tweenies, has been shown on CBeebies (and occasionally on BBC2): * 1 Cleaning Materials (Description: Fizz plays with dangerous bottles and burns her hand.) * 2 Leaving Toys Lying Around (Description: The Tweenies fall over toys left on the playroom floor.) * 3 Throwing (Description: Max makes a 'You've Been Framed!' styled video of the Tweenies playing.) * 4 Garden Shed (Description: Bella and Jake want to play in Max's garden shed.) * 5 Swings (Description: Izzles finds out the hard way that it's not safe to stand in front of a swing.) * 6 Slide (Description: Milo learns how to play safely on a slide.) * 7 Matches (Description: Jake finds a box of matches.) * 8 Don't Go There (Description: Milo tries to go to the future in an old fridge.) * 9 Lost (Description: Max gets lost in a special garden centre.) * 10 Road Safety (Description: The Tweenies learn about road safety.) * 11 Dogs (Description: Jake gets bitten by a dog with a disease.) * 12 Candles (Description: Judy burns Milo with candles.) * 13 Fire Safety (Description: Fire can be very unsafe, and the Tweenies help us and children to understand this.) * 14 Travelling by Train (Description: Trains can be dangerous if you are not careful, so the Tweenies explain how to be safe.) * 15 Electric Sockets & Cables (Description: The Tweenies learn about electricity.) * 16 Knives (Description: Jake, Bella, Milo and Fizz learn about being dangerous with knives.) * 17 Ponds (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety around ponds.) * 18 Scissors (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety around scissors.) * 19 Rivers (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety around rivers.) * 20 Dialing 999 (American Title: Dialing 911) (Description: Bella tells the others about a real emergency.) * 21 Railway Lines (Description: Max tells the others how to be safe near a railway.) * 22 Hot Cooker (Description: Jake, Bella, Milo and Fizz present a short film about accidents with hot cookers.) * 23 Kettle & Teapot (Description: Bella thinks she can make a real pot of tea. However, this is not an entirely safe plan.) * 24 Canal (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety around canals.) * 25 Doors & Windows (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety around doors and windows.) * 26 Beach (Description: Max goes to a special beach, and helps to teach us and children about safety by the sea.) * 27 Horses (Description: The Tweenies learn about safety when riding a horse.) Expanded 40-minute episodes In 2001, there were 17 40-minute episodes produced, which featured clips from previous Tweenies episodes. These have been shown intermittently in the UK on BBC2 from 30th September 2001 to 30th December 2001 on Sunday mornings and act as "Omnibus/Compilation" editions. 4 new episodes have been shown in March 2003 on BBC1 on Saturday mornings between the 8th - 29th March. They were repeated once since their original transmissions from 7th April - 24th June 2007 on CBeebies: * 1. Machines - 30/9/2001 * 2. Big and Small - 7/10/2001 * 3. It's Catching - 14/10/2001 * 4. Sleeping - 21/10/2001 * 5. Things We Brought In - 28/10/2001 * 6. Dressed Up - 4/11/2001 * 7. Journey - 11/11/2001 * 8. Mistaken - 18/11/2001 * 9. It's Getting Cold - 25/11/2001 * 10. Building Things - 2/12/2001 * 11. It Turned Out Alright - 9/12/2001 * 12. Odd Things Happen - 16/12/2001 * 13. Disaster - 30/12/2001 * 14. New Dog - 8/3/2003 * 15. Noise - 15/3/2003 * 16. Scary Adventures - 22/3/2003 * 17. Urgh! - 29/3/2003 VHS Titles * Ready To Play with the Tweenies (VHS) * Song Time! (VHS) * Song Time 2! (VHS) * Animal Friends (VHS) * Party Games Laugh's And Giggles (VHS) * Merry Tweenie Christmas (VHS) * Tweenies Live! (VHS) * Colours are Magic (VHS) * It's Messy Time (VHS) * Music is Pop-a-Rooney (VHS) * Song Time is Fab-a-Rooney (VHS) * Enchanted Toyshop (VHS) * Songs and Surprises (VHS) * Night-Time Magic (VHS) * Jungle Adventure (VHS) * Let's Play (VHS) * Everybody Panto (VHS) * Tweenies Live The Christmas Present (VHS) * Let's All Make Music (VHS) * Doodles' New Friend (VHS) * Fizz! (VHS) DVD Titles * Ready To Play & Song Time! (DVD) * Animal Friends & Party Games Laughs and Giggles (DVD) * Party Games Laughs and Giggles (DVD) * Merry Tweenie Christmas (DVD) * Song Time 2! & Song Time is Fun a Rooney (DVD) * Colours are Magic (DVD) * It's Messy Time (DVD) * Music is Pop-a-Rooney (DVD) * Night-Time Magic (DVD) * Let's All Make Music (DVD) * Jungle Adventure (DVD) * Fizz! (DVD) * It's Christmas! (DVD) * Song Time! The Complete Collection (DVD) * The Ultimate Christmas Collection (DVD) * Practical Jokes and other stories (DVD) * Let's Play (DVD) * Messy Time Magic (DVD) DVDs & Videos These were released by BBC Worldwide and some various DVD's are still available in retailers. Many of the above videos have also been dubbed into other languages. In addition, several of the Tweenies videos were produced in special versions for retailers with additional footage (for example, the "Party Games, Laughs & Giggles" video distributed at Marks & Spencer stores carried 2 additional segments, adding 10 minutes to the video's running time). Many of the above videos were also released as DVDs under different names. iTunes has released a Best of Tweenies volume 1 which consists of the first 6 episodes of the series.[citation needed] Books From 1999 until 2006, various books were released from the Tweenies, based on the episodes that were mostly aired. There were also annuals that were released from 2001–06 and other books, based on each character from the Tweenies. Toys & Games From 1999 until 2007, the Tweenies were more popular than they are today and many toys were sold in various retailers, such as Toys "R" Us, Argos & Woolworths. There were many toys & games, such as soft toys, playsets, collectable figures, board games, jigsaws & puzzles, talking toys, video games and many others. Repeats Tweenies launched on 6th September 1999 at 10.30am on BBC2 with an afternoon repeat on BBC1 at 3.25pm, CBBC on Choice premiered the Tweenies on Monday November 29th 1999 at 7.00am and repeated at 10.00am, 1.00pm and 4.00pm. It was originally a weekday-only show to start with on CBBC on Choice. It was on Christmas 1999 at 7.25am, 10.25am, 1.25pm and 4.25pm from Monday 20th December 1999 - Friday 31st December 1999 with no episodes shown on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and the New Year's Weekend 2000. From Monday 3rd January 2000 it came on at 6.40am, 9.40am, 12.40pm and 3.40pm on weekdays only. For a while beginning from Monday 10th April 2000 it swapped times with Playdays with Playdays coming on at 6.40am, 9.40am, 12.40pm and 3.40pm while the Tweenies was 8.00am, 11.00am, 2.00pm and 5.00pm until Friday 1st September 2000. From Monday 4th September 2000, The new schedules had launched and the Tweenies had new times, 7.00am, 10.00am, 1.00pm and 4.00pm and they had a second episode at 9.00am, 12.00pm, 3.00pm and 6.00pm and a weekend double bill had launched also from Saturday September 9th 2000 at 7.00am, 10.00am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm and the second episode was 7.20am, 10.20am, 1.50pm and 4.50pm and from Saturday March 31st 2001 it was 7.30am, 10.30am, 1.30pm and 4.30pm and second episode was 7.50am, 10.50am, 1.50pm and 4.50pm. The only change after this didn't occur til Monday September 3rd 2001 when Playdays yet again swapped with the Tweenies and this time Tweenies second episode came on at 8.00am, 11.00am, 2.00pm and 5.00pm like it done so from April - September 2000. The first episode was unaffected and stayed at 7.00am,, 10.00am, 1.00pm and 4.00pm. They showed all 6 series and episodes they showed were from the first episode "Tweenie Band" to "Big Box". It has been one of the regular shows appearing on the schedule on CBBC on Choice alongside Teletubbies , Playdays , Noddy , Bodger and Badger , Bob the Builder and ChuckleVision. It has also appeared under viewer's requests on Choosy Bits from 2001/02. They also showed Tweenies Christmas Countdown from 1st - 25th December 2001. Tweenies like Teletubbies and Postman Pat is currently repeated on CBeebies since Monday 11th February 2002. Category:Cbeebies Category:CBBC Category:90s Shows Category:1990s Shows Category:2000s Shows Category:Puppets Category:Live Action shows Category:1999 television show debuts Category:2002 television show endings